Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) Shares Sold by Andrew Hill Investment Advisors Inc.

Andrew Hill Investment Advisors Inc. reduced its holdings in Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) by 42.2% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 2,150 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 1,569 shares during the quarter. Costco Wholesale makes up 2.0% of Andrew Hill Investment Advisors Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 21st biggest holding. Andrew Hill Investment Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $2,034,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Investment Management Corp VA ADV acquired a new position in Costco Wholesale in the fourth quarter valued at $25,000. Synergy Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in Costco Wholesale during the fourth quarter worth about $31,000. NewSquare Capital LLC increased its stake in Costco Wholesale by 250.0% during the fourth quarter. NewSquare Capital LLC now owns 35 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $32,000 after acquiring an additional 25 shares during the last quarter. Collier Financial acquired a new stake in Costco Wholesale during the fourth quarter worth about $35,000. Finally, Barrett & Company Inc. increased its stake in Costco Wholesale by 59.3% during the fourth quarter. Barrett & Company Inc. now owns 43 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $39,000 after acquiring an additional 16 shares during the last quarter. 68.48% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Costco Wholesale Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ COST opened at $1,048.78 on Friday. Costco Wholesale Co. has a fifty-two week low of $788.20 and a fifty-two week high of $1,078.24. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $983.85 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $975.34. The company has a quick ratio of 0.43, a current ratio of 0.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.23. The firm has a market cap of $465.33 billion, a PE ratio of 61.58, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 6.15 and a beta of 1.00.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 29th. The retailer reported $4.28 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.24 by $0.04. Costco Wholesale had a return on equity of 32.31% and a net margin of 2.93%. The firm had revenue of $63.21 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $62.93 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $3.78 EPS. Costco Wholesale’s quarterly revenue was up 8.0% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts expect that Costco Wholesale Co. will post 18.03 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Costco Wholesale Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 16th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 2nd were issued a dividend of $1.30 per share. This represents a $5.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.50%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 2nd. This is an increase from Costco Wholesale’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.16. Costco Wholesale’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 30.36%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Costco Wholesale news, EVP James C. Klauer sold 4,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, April 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $981.07, for a total transaction of $3,924,280.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 43,994 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $43,161,193.58. This trade represents a 8.33% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Gary Millerchip sold 1,100 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $940.01, for a total value of $1,034,011.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 11,165 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,495,211.65. This represents a 8.97% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 9,600 shares of company stock valued at $9,140,195 in the last quarter. Insiders own 0.18% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have commented on COST. Morgan Stanley upped their price target on Costco Wholesale from $1,150.00 to $1,225.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday. Stifel Nicolaus set a $1,035.00 price target on Costco Wholesale in a research note on Thursday. Telsey Advisory Group restated an “outperform” rating and set a $1,100.00 price target on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research note on Thursday. Barclays upped their price target on Costco Wholesale from $940.00 to $980.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, March 10th. Finally, Mizuho began coverage on Costco Wholesale in a research note on Friday, April 11th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $975.00 price target for the company. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $1,035.32.

Costco Wholesale Company Profile

Costco Wholesale Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the operation of membership warehouses in the United States, Puerto Rico, Canada, Mexico, Japan, the United Kingdom, Korea, Australia, Taiwan, China, Spain, France, Iceland, New Zealand, and Sweden. The company offers branded and private-label products in a range of merchandise categories.